More About Possible Knee Surgery Risks and Complications

In 2002, the chairman of the orthopedics department at Baylor college of medicine published a research study in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. This study demonstrated that traditional arthroscopic debridement (cleaning up knee meniscus tears and degenerated tissue) was no better than a placebo surgery (1).

This research article sent shockwaves throughout the orthopedic community, as evidenced by the multiple commentaries and editorials published in response.To understand why this procedure likely doesn’t help many patients, it’s important to know what’s done. The surgeon often removes degenerated, frayed, or torn cartilage. For years many doctors believed that knee cartilage was an inert substance that acted simply as a biomechanical cushion. However, over the past decade research has shown that knee cartilage is actually living tissue that produces essential lubricating and protective substances for the joint. By removing these key cells, the ability of the joint to protect itself is reduced. This lowered level of protection then leads to a higher likelihood of subsequent injury, requiring more surgery and more removal of key tissue.

Recent research has also demonstrated that steroid injections into the knee harm these key cells(2). In the end, a knee replacement is often recommended. Knee replacement surgery carries with it a high complication rate, so many patients are often reluctant to proceed (3). As a result, a newer micro fracture procedure is sometimes recommended. The goal of this procedure is to poke holes in the bone to stimulate healing. While this procedure can produce some results in adding back protective fibro cartilage, it often requires the patient to spend 4-8 weeks on crutches and pain medications.

Because of the problems with these major surgeries, Regenerative Sciences has created the world’s first adult stem cell procedure that works through simple injections and requires much less patient downtime than traditional surgeries. Avoid knee surgery risks altogether with the Regenexx alternative to traditional knee surgery.